This invention relates generally to a computer-based method and system, and more particularly, this invention relates to a computer-based method and system for qualifying supplier parts.
Part qualification is a critical element of integrating a supplier technology into a final product. The failure to follow all necessary steps can have drastic consequences in terms of final product quality. To get a jumpstart on competition it has become increasingly critical to quickly qualify new, leading-edge suppliers and to get their technologies integrated into a final product. Currently, many organizations lack a standard qualification process. This results in duplicate work and inconsistency. It is difficult to measure the efficiency of the qualification process or to know how far along the process is for a particular supplier part. It is also difficult to determine accountability for the overall qualification or for a particular set of sub tasks. Another problem is that there is currently no easy way to access and track the latest copies of qualification data because the data is stored in a variety of electronic and paper based formats. Relevant data is sometimes lost or thrown out as engineers change jobs or divisions reorganize. Time is often wasted looking for data and determining if the data at hand is the most recent version of the data. In the current environment it will be difficult to meet the competitive demands of speeding up the qualification process while ensuring high quality supplier parts.
To meet these competitive pressures it would be desirable to have a computer based tool that could serve as a central repository for storing and accessing all qualification data. The tool should also be used to enforce standard qualification processes and as a method of communication between qualification participants. Finally, the tool should include 24-hour a day access for authorized persons around the globe.